China’s crewed Moon plan uses two launches for a landing before 2030

China’s crewed lunar plan calls for two spacecraft to launch separately, meet and dock in lunar orbit, and support a landing target before 2030. At a Beijing symposium on October 31, 2026, Wang Xiang presented the architecture; Xinhua also reported completed development tests for Long March-10, Mengzhou and Lanyue. Xinhua’s account describes the vehicles and tests.

How the lunar mission is planned to work

Two launches would send the Mengzhou crew spacecraft and Lanyue lander toward the Moon. They would rendezvous and dock in lunar orbit, where crew members would transfer from Mengzhou to Lanyue for the descent and surface work. The reported crew is three people, with two expected to land. China’s stated goal is a crewed lunar landing before 2030, a target rather than a fixed mission date. Xinhua Mashable

Mashable reported intermediate mission plans: a Mengzhou Earth-orbit test in 2027, a Long March 10/Lanyue test in 2028, and a two-launch lunar-orbit docking in 2029. Those are reported future milestones; the 2027 test’s crew status and the full scope of the 2029 rehearsal are not included here.

What development tests China reported completing

Xinhua reported a low-altitude demonstration and validation test for Long March-10. Mengzhou had completed a zero-height abort test and an escape test at maximum dynamic pressure, the point during ascent when aerodynamic pressure on the vehicle reaches its peak. Lanyue had completed a landing-and-takeoff test.

These are distinct development tests for the rocket, crew spacecraft and lander. Their reported completion is separate from the future lunar mission target.

Why develop the spacecraft and lander separately

Wang Xiang’s stated rationale was that separate development of the spacecraft and lander could support standardization and a longer-term family of vehicles. Xinhua also reported that the program uses integrated design and emphasizes checking interfaces between subsystems. Those connections matter in a mission where the separately launched vehicles must dock in lunar orbit before crew members can transfer to the lander. Xinhua

The clearest way to read the plan is as two things at once: specific development tests already reported as completed, and a crewed lunar landing that remains a target before 2030.